Jenkins responds to Marcotte, GOP over short forms

Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins today responded to a GOP’s proposal—released yesterday—that called for more transparency on short form contracts.

He accused Legislator Sheila Marcotte, R-Tuckahoe, of misrepresenting the facts and using inflammatory terms like “shadowy spending.”

Here’s the release:

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Westchester County Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers) released a
statement today blasting recent attempts by Republican lawmakers to distort facts about the County’s short-form
contracts process. Yesterday, Republicans Legislators, led by freshman Legislator Sheila Marcotte, made
assertions about the current contract process that were inflammatory and inaccurate.
“Unfortunately, the Republican caucus of the Board of Legislators continues its shrill, fact-free assault on the
Democratic legislative majority at a time when elected officials should be identifying how to provide high-quality
services at reduced costs,” said Jenkins. “The Republicans, apparently, value wasting time with inaccurate media
releases over working together to help secure a prosperous and sustainable future for the residents of
Westchester.
“Republican Legislator Sheila Marcotte falsely stated in a press release Tuesday that the Board of Legislators had
approved 6 million dollars in short form contracts. In fact, this the total for all short contracts issued by
Westchester County.
“Marcotte’s use of inflammatory terms like “shadowy spending” and her purposeful misrepresentation of the facts
are familiar tactics from the national Republican playbook, in which fear, deception and outright lies are heavily
employed.
“Meanwhile, the Republican caucus continues to attempt to manufacture controversy at the behest of the
Administration—even when none exists.
“The residents of Westchester deserve better and want their legislators to focus on governance. As the
Republicans on the County Board and the Astorino Administration desperately attempt to minimize the successes
that were jointly achieved with the Democrats on the County Board, precious time slips away and meaningful
dialogue on important issues gets pushed aside.
“We’re proud that the Democratic legislative majority has delivered a historic 2.2 reduction in the tax levy, reduced
spending by $30 million dollars and trimmed the County workforce by 10% while providing continued investment
in safety net services—all accomplished in a single year.
“I continue to believe, and hope, that the Republican caucus will rise above the petty politics to focus on working
together as a legislature to identify opportunities to develop policies that will provide further tax relief and help
build a better tomorrow for all for Westchester’s residents.”